DallasCon Sunday – Jensen and Jared and Supernatural’s Tenth Birthday

Here are a few of my favorite moments from Sunday – or at least the ones I managed to get photos of!

(See the previous two posts for Jensen’s meet and greet and Friday/Saturday goings on)

Misha surprised Jared and Jensen with a birthday cake to celebrate the actual tenth birthday of Supernatural – it felt pretty special to be celebrating with them on the actual anniversary. A decade ago a little Show came on the air that changed my life – and many of your lives too. And here we still are, ten years later!

Happy birthday, Supernatural!

Other highlights:

The fan who raised her hand to ask a question and then let her pants drop to the floor while yelling “Pudding!”

Jensen’s face, and his wry comment that she wasn’t exactly wearing what he had been.

“A sock,” Jared helpfully supplied, thereby sending my imagination off in inappropriate directions. Where are the gag reel outtakes from that day??

We also got lots of Jared and Jensen doing the same thing at the same time just like Sam and Dean. When the pudding questioner said she was going to walk around all day that way, Jensen asked incredulously, “You’re gonna go around all day like that?”

Both Jensen and Jared immediately spun on a dime and waddled off in opposite directions EXACTLY the same.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jensen’s next comment was “You need tearaways!”

Without even glancing at each other, both Jared and Jensen mimed tearing away their pants in perfect unison.

Jensen: “I love it when they do things at the same time!”

#Boys.

More favorite moments:

Fan says she’d marry Sam Winchester.

Jensen: Wha??

That face? Priceless.

I don’t know if these are photos of this, but no list of favorite DallasCon moments would be complete without mentioning Jared’s description of encountering Jensen for the first time that day as Dean is washing Baby in the Men of Letters garage.

Jared: …in his outfit, if you could call it that…it was more inner thigh than I cared to see…

Everyone: No such thing!

Jensen: slaps his thigh provocatively

Apparently the gag reel will have even MORE thigh. I might not survive this season.

I seem to have a soft spot for Jensen unexpectedly ending up with his mind in the gutter while onstage.

Jared: My alarm clock goes off at 6 am and it sounds like “Daddy! Daddy!”

Mrs. Ackles calling Jensen and his brother home from roaming the neighborhood by blowing on a conch shell. Impressive.

Someone offering the boys a tampon for motivation and their gobsmacked reaction. It wasn’t as out of left field as you might think, since she was referencing the tampon scene in Ten Inch Hero, but it ended up sounding hysterical.

These are some of my favorite photos. Jensen was trying to tease Jared, asking ‘Is that what you were like when you moved out to California?’

Jared: No, that was you. [imitates Jensen at the time] “I’m gonna be on Days of Our Lives…”

Jensen: (deadpan) We need to get you some brick pants.

I love that they know what we’re obsessed with and can make fun of themselves for it better than anyone else could. Oh, the infamous brick pants.

Jensen told the story of when Jared photoshopped a picture of himself on Jensen’s jet ski in his swimming pool and sent it to Jensen to tease him about having to work.

Jared: Don’t worry, I’m taking care of your pool.

Jensen: How did they even get the jet ski in the pool?

Of course he had to act out what it looked like.

Fandom: Share!!

Jensen trying to intimidate Jared into expressing his support for the Rangers.

Jensen: I know where you live. I have keys to your house.

Jared: Okay. Rangers.

And of course there were just lots and lots of pictures of boys looking mighty damn fine.

Long legs and adorable smiles.

There was also this moment, when Jared demonstrated the force with which he pie-d Director Misha last season. Thank you, Jensen, for being the demonstratee. Please keep demonstrating anything that ends up with a photo like this.

And then there was the acting out of vampire fight scenes, complete with a guest actor, Robyn from props, and a vampire head that eventually tumbled to the floor. What we got out of this in addition to some interesting on-set behind the scenes insights was a whole lotta long long legs. Mmmm.

There were also the touching, more serious moments. Like Jensen saying if he wasn’t an actor, he would’ve wanted to help people, maybe be in a therapeutic profession. And Jared a teacher.

Hey, I can relate to both!

There was also the amusing but sort of emotional moment when Rob and Rich presented Jared with his very own “engraved” (ie, written in Sharpie) cowbell with “J-pad” scrawled on it. He seemed genuinely touched and proudly showed it off to all of us.

Awww.

Near the end of the panel, someone asked how they felt about the fact that they would always be looked at as Sam and Dean.

For some reason, that heartfelt, simple answer made me tear up. Because they are – and we are too. This is something special, and on the tenth anniversary of the very first broadcast, that’s more true than ever.

All good things must come to an end, alas. Jared and Jensen say goodbye.

If you’re headed to NJCon, come see us in the vendor’s room – we’ll have copies of Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls and Fan Phenomena Supernatural (with chapters written by Misha and Richard) for sale – and we’re happy to sign them too! (If you won’t be at NJCon, they’re available at the links at the top of this page)

Here, have some Jensen singing to finish this post… It’s an excellent way to close out a panel. Or a post!

It makes me happy to know that no matter what they do in the future, they can look back on the last 10 years and know that they really achieved something special. Thanks again, Lynn. I hope you’ll be coming to HoustonCon in February.

Still wish you guys were coming to DenverCon, but oh well. 😉 Very funny with the trick candles, at least they didn’t set the stage on fire. LOL I hope this wild ride keeps going for a while, but honestly, I’m baffled as to how the writers are still coming up with new material … and still have it be good.

Fan Phenomena: Supernatural on Amazon

Fangasm on Amazon

Fandom at the Crossroads on Amazon

Fan Culture: Theory/Practice on Amazon

Our Story

This is the story of two college professors who fell hard for a show called Supernatural. Obsession, devotion, fascination, call it what you will. We decided to figure out what was going on with us by writing a book on fandom from the fans' perspective. As academics do, we hit the libraries and internet, accumulating stacks of articles and hundreds of pages of research. We typed and revised and theorized, quoted and footnoted, and ended up with an academic text crammed full of the current scholarship on fandom.

This is not that book.

Somewhere along the line, the research took a back seat to the road trip as we traveled across the US and Canada interviewing the show’s fans, as well as the actors and directors, writers, journalists, bloggers, convention organizers, significant others and insignificant hangers-on. Fangasm! is the story of that year-long roadtrip -- the surprises we never saw coming, the secrets uncovered, the behind-the-scenes insights, the heartwarming and heartbreaking fan confessions. It’s also the story of our shared obsession and the friendship that sustains us through 4 am line-ups, overtaxed credit cards, canceled flights and airport camp-outs, and of course the occasional accusations of insanity.

Order Fangasm now from Amazon by clicking the link at the top of this page.

Media Coverage

Check out the February 2016 issue of Nylon Magazine - we're quoted in an article about fandom!

What Else We’re Writing

We've written several articles for Supernatural Magazine, including features on the fan convention experience, and behind the scenes on the set. We have also written the academic version of this story, Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships , and edited a collection on fan culture, Fan Culture: Theory/Practice.
You can also order our book Fan Phenomena: Supernatural, with chapters by cast, crew and fans of Supernatural. Check out what Misha Collins and Richard Speight, Jr. have to say in their insightful (and amusing) chapters. Click the links at the top of the page to order.

And coming in May 2017, look for an exciting new book - Family Don't End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Changed Lives with powerful chapters by ten Supernatural actors including Jared Padalecki!

Kathy is also the Principal Editor and Lynn on the Editorial Board of The Journal Of Fandom Studies, published by Intellect. The most recent issue is available now.